title: An epidemiologic analysis of low back pain in primary care: a hot humid country and global comparison.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low back pain is one of the most common conditions for which patients seek medical care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to study the epidemiology of low back pain in primary care setting with emphasis on frequency, sociodemographic factors, and impact of low back pain on lifestyle habits.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional study. A representative sample of 2742 patients was approached and 2180 subjects agreed to participate in this study (79.5%). The survey was conducted among primary health care visitors during the period from March to October 2012. The questionnaire collected the sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, and type of treatment taken for relief from recruited subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the subjects studied, 52.9% were males and 47.1% were females. The prevalence of low back pain in the study sample was 59.2%. Low back pain was more prevalent among women (67.7%) than among men (51.6%). The proportion of low back pain was highest in the age-group 45 to 55 years in both the genders (37.6% and 36.4%, respectively). Nearly half of the men (45.7%) and women (45.2%) with low back pain were overweight with a significant difference (P < .001). More than half of the women with low back pain were housewives (50.4%), whereas most of the men had clerical jobs (36.8%). There was a significant difference observed between men and women in terms of nationality (P < .001), body mass index (P < .001), and occupation (P < .001). Prolonged standing (41.2% vs 29.5%; P < .001) and use of sponge mattress (50.9% vs 45.8%; P .041) was significantly higher among male patients with low back pain compared with females. Coughing/sneezing/straining (9.7% vs 5.9%; P = .01) were more frequent triggering factors in male patients with low back pain as compared with females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study findings revealed that the prevalence of low back pain was higher among women than among men. Low back pain was observed more frequently among older people and among those who were overweight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics & Epidemiology, Hamad Medical Corporation & Department of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar. abener@hmc.org.qa
authors.forename: Abdulbari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bener
authors.forename: Elnour E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Dafeeah
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alnaqbi
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Falah
authors.forename: Taha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aljuhaisi
authors.forename: Alhassan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadeeq
authors.forename: Shehryar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Josia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schlogl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001513:Beds / Q000145:classification; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000145:classification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: epidemiology; lifestyle habits; low back pain; primary health care; risk factors